Pinthouse Pizza
'Chronicle' Focuses on Wrong Shows on ChannelAustin
RECEIVED Sat., April 11, 2009
Dear Editor,
As producer of the variety show Sacrebleu! Television, I'm a little tired of the Chronicle's writers always focusing in on so-called "lunatic" and "crackpot" shows. Why can't they see the potential of public access TV? In essence, it exists to help the community become conscious of itself – much like a local indie news rag (i.e., The Austin Chronicle).
There are hundreds of interesting producers and shows at channelAustin. Too bad most writers seem to take the easy-story route, filling their columns by cracking cheap shots at the TV station's biggest drama queens.
In his recent article, subtitled "From Highland Mall to PACT, the lunatics are at large" [“Point Austin,” News, April 10], Michael King writes:
"Isn't it about time Jones and his MisInfowars are sent packing by PACT to the pirate-radio oblivion he so richly deserves?"
Well, if Michael came to channelAustin's free producer orientation on Mondays at 6pm or read through the TV station's policies at www.channelaustin.org, maybe he'd understand why Jones hasn't crossed the commercialism line.
As producer of the variety show Sacrebleu! Television, I'm a little tired of the Chronicle's writers always focusing in on so-called "lunatic" and "crackpot" shows. Why can't they see the potential of public access TV? In essence, it exists to help the community become conscious of itself – much like a local indie news rag (i.e., The Austin Chronicle).
There are hundreds of interesting producers and shows at channelAustin. Too bad most writers seem to take the easy-story route, filling their columns by cracking cheap shots at the TV station's biggest drama queens.
In his recent article, subtitled "From Highland Mall to PACT, the lunatics are at large" [“Point Austin,” News, April 10], Michael King writes:
"Isn't it about time Jones and his MisInfowars are sent packing by PACT to the pirate-radio oblivion he so richly deserves?"
Well, if Michael came to channelAustin's free producer orientation on Mondays at 6pm or read through the TV station's policies at www.channelaustin.org, maybe he'd understand why Jones hasn't crossed the commercialism line.
Sol Waters
[News Editor Michael King responds: The Richard Poplawski episode is a national story with a strong local news hook, directly related to PACT. Sol Waters would apparently prefer that we instead promote his midnight variety show, or others like it. No offense intended at all, but we'll go with the actual news. And if Jones' relentless self-promotion of his web/DVD/broadcasting mini-empire does not in fact "cross the commercialism line" of the channelAustin regulations, then those regulations are deaf, blind, and badly in need of an upgrade.]